Journal Entry 1 by Shelfless from Dryden, New York USA on Saturday, September 14, 2002

This book is full of witty wordplay.
Also full of interminable intellectual brag-sheet lists which rapidly become annoying.
The book sets up an intriguing premise, and keeps you reading... and reading... and reading (the book is very long) until you finally realize that your own curiosity has been exploited to demonstrate the main theme of the book. I, for one, found this tremendously irritating, as though I had been used by the author.
Nevertheless, it's a pretty good read.

Excerpt from the high point of the book:

"Well, Diotallevi and I are planning a reform in higher education. A School of Comparative Irrelevance, where useless or impossible courses are given. The school's aim is to turn out scholars capable of endlessly increasing the number of unnecessary subjects." "And how many departments are there?"
"Four so far, but that may be enough for the whole syllabus. The Tetrapyloctomy department has a preparatory function; its purpose is to inculcate a sense of irrelevance. Another important department is Adynata, or Impossibilia. Like Urban Planning for Gypsies. The essence of the discipline is the comprehension of the underlying reasons for a thing's absurdity. We have courses in Morse syntax, the history of antarctic agriculture, the history of Easter Island painting, contemporary Sumerian literature, Montessori grading, Assyrio-Babylonian philately, the technology of the wheel in pre-Columbian empires, and the phonetics of the silent film."
"How about crowd psychology in the Sahara?" 

Journal Entry 2 by Shelfless from Dryden, New York USA on Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Sent to BookCrossling "ateehee" in Cary, NC
Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 3 by ateehee from Siler City, North Carolina USA on Saturday, September 21, 2002

Received the book. Looking forward to reading it... 

Journal Entry 4 by ateehee from Siler City, North Carolina USA on Sunday, April 18, 2004

After finding The DaVinci Code a little light on substance, I ventured to the complete opposite of the spectrum and read this novel by Eco. It took me quite some time to read it because often I could only read 2 or 3 pages at a time. I did enjoy the themes of the book, but I doubt I would read another Eco tome. Very heavy.

 

Journal Entry 5 by ateehee from Siler City, North Carolina USA on Friday, May 07, 2004

Sending to Madison, NJ. 

Journal Entry 6 by Lizanne from Madison, New Jersey USA on Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Thanks very much! It appears on reading a few excerpts this book is an awesome undertaking. I hope it to be a good one!